Girls Scouts from the Byron Center area ride on the float in the Byron Center Christmas parade.
Girl Scouts all over the world are marking the organization’s 104th anniversary with Girl Scout week, running through March 12.
To help celebrate this special occasion, WKTV will be rebroadcasting its Girl Scouts of Michigan Shore to Shore Media Experience program March 9 at 4 p.m.
The program, a collaboration between the local council, Girl Scouts of Michigan Shore to Shore, and WKTV, was designed to give area Girl Scouts a taste of what it was like to produce a television show. The girls operated cameras, used the video switcher, monitored audio, and loaded graphics to produce the interviews featuring many of the crew members.
Girl Scouts, interviewed by local media experts, discussed their Girl Scout experiences from earning awards to their favorite memories about Girl Scouting.
March 12 marks the official birthday of Girl Scouts. This is the date that commemorates the day in 1912 when Juliette Gordon Low officially registered the organization’s first 18 girl members in Savannah, Georgia. Today, the organization boosts of 2.7 million Girl Scouts – 1.9 million girl members and 800,000 adult members – in about 92 countries, according to Girl Scouts of the U.S.A., which was officially chartered by the U.S. Congress on March 16, 1950.
And this being Women’s History Month, it should be noted that it is estimated that more than 59 million women in America today have participated in Girl Scouts during their childhood.
To learn more about Girl Scouts, including how to get involved, visit the Girl Scouts of Michigan Shore to Shore website. For more on WKTV programs, visit wktv.org.
As astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson makes his way to Grand Rapids this month, the Grand Rapids Public Museum sets the mood with a number of family activities in March all centered around science.
This week, the GRPM hosts its annual celebration of engineering week with school groups participating in an integrative Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics experience featuring activities from science and engineering. The week culminates in a public day Saturday, March 5.
“Basically all the stations that the school groups go through during the week are available for the public on that Saturday,” said the museum’s Marketing Manager Christie Bender.
Saturday’s programming focuses on STEM applications to create real world solutions to human problems and needs. Stations include creating underwater submersibles, design bridges, exams biomedical devices, manipulate robots, experiment with water systems and create concrete cookies using household ingredients.
“There are also special audience interactive events on the fifth where they can help drive an underwater rover that is in Florida waters from the Museum’s Theater,” Bender said. Underwater researcher and scientist Chris Olstad,and Grand Valley State University Professor Mark Gleason will be hosting live presentations at 10:30 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. from thirty feet below the water’s surface in Florida waters.
The GRPM also will be continuing its new, ongoing program Science Tuesdays, focusing on Zoology for the month of March. Stations will include hands-on activities, microscopes, animal x-rays, honey bee information and live animals every week. Today and March 8, animals from the John Ball Zoo will be at the GRPM from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Blandford Nature Center will bring in animals on March 15 and 22 from noon to 1 p.m. and 2 to 3 p.m. Dr. Rebecca Vincent will have animals from noon to 4 p.m. March 29 and she is also scheduled to be the guest speaker at 6 p.m. that day. Vincent will discuss wildlife rehabilitation. Presentations are free with general admission.
Also this month, the Grand Rapids Amateur Astronomical Association with the GRPM will be hosting the Winter Star Party March 11 and 12 at the Cascade Recreation Park, 3810 Thornapple River Dr. SE. The program is from 7:30 – 9 p.m. both days.
GRAAA members will have telescopes set up to allow public viewing of the crescent moon, Jupiter and various other sky features visible only during winter and early spring. During warm weather season, these features are below the horizon making them unable to be seen. Those attending this event are encouraged to dress for cold weather and to bring flashlights, binoculars and telescopes if available.
This event is weather dependent and will only take place if the sky is clear. Status updates will be posted on the GRAAA website, graaa.org.
For more information on these events, upcoming exhibitions or other activities at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, visit grpm.org. The Grand Rapids Public Museum is located at 272 Pearl St. SW.
Neil deGrasse Tyson comes of Grand Rapids March 21. He will be at DeVos Performance Hall, 303 Monroe Ave. SW.
For Laurel Scholten her favorite part of seeing the butterflies is watching them emerge from their chrysalis.
“If it goes just perfectly, they will slide right out and then there they are,” said Scholten, who this year is overseeing the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park’s Fred & Dorothy Fichter Butterflies are Blooming exhibition, which officially opens March 1.
In its 21st year, the exhibition will feature about 60 different species flying freely in the Gardens’ Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory. The balmy environment, which is 85 degrees and 70 percent humidity, is a perfect setting for the butterflies, according to Scholten.
“They tend to emerge more in the morning and especially when it is bright and sunny,” Scholten said. “This is because it signals to them that they are going to have better conditions to survive in.”
Approximately 7,000 – 8,000 butterflies will be released in the conservatory during the two-month exhibit with anywhere from 500 to 800 in the conservatory on any given day. The life cycle of a butterfly is about two to three weeks.
The Butterflies are Blooming remains one of the Gardens largest exhibitions with more than 150,000 visitors expected to come through, said the Gardens Public Relations Manager Andrea Wolschleger
“I think it is because of the timing,” Wolschleger said. “It’s a warm, sunny exhibition, a good reason to escape the cold and it signals spring.
“Also, I think it appeals to just about anyone. Whether you are 5-years-old or 55-years-old, you can appreciate it.”
A “Crocodile” by Mimmo Paladino is on display in the Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory.
New this year is the addition of more than 900 nectar plants that will add vivid blooms along with providing nectar for the butterflies. Also make sure to explore the conservatory for two crocodiles sculptures that have “wandered” over from the “Mimmo Paladino: Present Into Past” exhibition that opens Friday, Feb. 26, in the Gardens’ gallery space. The exhibition will feature iconic sculptures from across the artist’s repertoire and new, never before seen work.
“The butterflies really educate people on a variety of topics,” Scholten said, such as pollution since butterflies are the first to be impacted by pollutes. The exhibit also showcases the life span of the butterflies emerge from chrysalides and cocoons in the Butterfly Bungalow, spread their wings for the first time, and are released into the conservatory. Also there is a Caterpillar Room located within The Seasonal Display Greenhouse featuring Monarch caterpillars.
“In fact, one of the number one questions I have is when are the butterflies going to be released,” Scholten said, adding that a sign will be on the Butterfly Bungalow with release times.
A butterfly spreads its wings in Butterfly Bungalow.
The Gardens also hosts a number of family events in conjunction with the exhibit. Various Children’s Activities take place daily during daylight hours in the Lena Meijer Children’s Garden, Tuesday Night Lights allow visitors to bring flashlights until 9 p.m to see the nightlife in the conservatory, and “Who am I” A Butterfly Ballet, presented by the Grand Rapids Ballet, is March 12 and 19 at 12:30 p.m. Tickets for the ballet are $5/members, $8/non-members, and free/children 2 and under.
Butterflies are Blooming will be up through April 31. The “Mimmo Paladino: Present Into Past” runs through Aug. 14. For more information on either exhibit or on the Meijer Gardens, visit the Gardens’ website or call 616-957-1580.
Calvin Christian High School would like you to be their guest as the high school’s Dramatic Society presents “Disney’s Beauty & the Beast” this weekend.
The production is set for Feb. 25 – 27 at Godwin Heights High School, 50 35th St. SW, Wyoming. Show times are 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 5 p.m. Saturday.
The musical is from Disney’s animated 1991 film based on the French fairytale. A selfish prince is turned into a beast by a beautiful enchantress and his servants become common household items. The spell can only be broken by a maiden who can love the Beast beyond his apperance. Meanwhile, in a village not too far away, Belle is an odd duck but the most beautiful girl in her village. Gaston, the man everyone wants to be, has plans to marry her. But before Gaston can get Belle to say yes, she runs off to save her father from the Beast. Belle and the Beast are destine to meet, but will Belle be able to love the Beast and break the spell?
“This is a show that I have been interested in producing for awhile,” said Marilee Marsman, who is directing with Karel Malefyt as the musical director. And is it any wonder why? Besides the entertaining characters that include Cogsworth (the clock), Lumiere (the candlestick) and Mrs. Potts (the teapot), the musical is full of familiar songs including “Be Our Guest,” “Something There,” and the title track sung by Angela Lansbury in the original film, “Beauty and the Beast.”
Standing: Ashley Bylsma as Wardrode, Jared Ebels as Lumiere, Stephenie Griffin as Babs, Lucas Potter as Cogsworth and sitting, Katie Tanja as Chip and Lauren Gibbered as Mrs. Potts
More than 70 Calvin Christian High School students are participating in the production which includes cast members, back stage crew and musicians. Performing as Belle is Bethany Morse and as Beast is Scott VandenBerg. Rounding out the cast are Gabe Lamer as Gaston, Lucas Potter as Cogsworth, Jared Ebels as Lumiere, Ashley Bylsma as the Wardrobe, Lindsay Elliott as Lefou, Stephenie Griffin as Babette, Lauren Gibbard as Mrs. Potts, Katie Tanja as Chip and Josh Watkins as Maurice.
“The group really becomes like a family,” Marsman said. “It is really awesome to see them grow together and encourage each other.”
Tickets for the show are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Tickets are available at the Calvin Christian High School office, 3750 Ivanrest Ave. SW, or at the door. For more information, call 616-538-0990.
The Wyoming and Kentwood Parks and Recreation Department each hosted a Daddy-Daughter Dance this past Saturday, February 20. Below are some pictures from the magical evenings.
Wyoming
The Wyoming Daddy-Daughter Dance was a smashing hit with 171 participants and 12 volunteers making sure the event ran smoothly. While dancing was the staple of the event, crafts and games were also held in adjoining rooms.
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Kentwood
Those at the Kentwood Daddy Daughter-Dance had the opportunity to experience A Night In Hollywood by walking the red carpet and having their picture taken. 20 couples – 46 participants in all – got to bask in the movie star experience.
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The dances were a hit and a job well done by the Parks and Recreation Departments.
With spring just around the corner, a time when many people take advantage of the warmer weather and head outdoors, the City of Wyoming Parks and Recreation Department is hosting the first ever Wyoming Community Health & Wellness Expo Saturday, March 5.
“Spring is a great time to focus on health and wellness,” said Rebecca Rynbrandt, director of community services for the City of Wyoming. “This event was created to inspire the community to prioritize their well-being, and connect them to local resources.
The free event will run from 1 – 3 pm. at the Wyoming Senior Center, 2380 DeHoop Ave. SW. About 20 different businesses, clubs and organizations from the Wyoming area will host tables and hand out samples, coupons, and other goodies. Fitness demonstrations, nutritious snacks, speakers, and health screenings will be some of the activities.
The Wyoming Parks and Recreation Department will be offering a sampling of its fitness programs such as yoga, Zumba and line dancing, said Valarie Mester, a recreation programmer for the department.
“We offer a number of programs through our offerings at the senior center and through our youth and family programs,” Mester said, adding this is a chance for people to try these programs and see what they are like.
Also on hand will be Shape for Life Studios, 1290 36th St. SW. Through its partnership with the recreation department, Shape for Life Studios offers spin classes and personal training. Mester said the studio representatives will be bringing in spin bikes for participants to try. Another recreation department partner is Metro Health, which will be providing health information.
Several other city departments will be at the expo such as the city’s water department, which will be covering the topic of clean water, and both the fire and police departments will be on hand to talk about related health and safety issues.
“It’s really about getting people more active, thinking about the food that they are eating and making sure they are visiting their physicians for regular check ups and screenings,” Mester said.
While a brand new event, Mester said organizers are expecting between 200 to 400 participants this year which is based on the number of current participants in the Parks and Recreation Department’s programs.
“The event is free and open to anyone, both residents and non-residents,” Mester said.
For more about the Wyoming Community Health and Wellness Expo or other programs offered by the City of Wyoming Parks and Recreation Department, visit www.wyomingmi.gov or call 616-530-3164.
With a mixture of returning favorites and Grand Rapids Civic Theatre premieres, Civic Theatre offers a season focused on the theme of equality with its 2016 – 2017 lineup.
“We kind of go through the selection process, put together the season and a theme just comes from there,” said Civic Theatre Artistic Director Bruce Tinker.
This year’s lineup ranges from David Lindsay-Abaire’s 2011 Tony Award-winning play “Good People,” about the disparages in class and social economics to the powerful musical “Ragtime,” a look at the equality of justice under the law.
“It’s our 91st season and I really love all of the selections,” Tinker said. “There a lot of first-time productions along with some returning like ‘Ragtime,’ which is one of my favorite musicals. The music is just gorgeous.”
Tinker, who directed Civic’s 2004 production of “Ragtime,” said he looks forward to reacquainting himself with the musical that delves into the hopes, dreams and struggles of the immigrants settling in America in the early 20th Century. The show runs Feb. 24 – March 19.
The season starts with “Good People,” Sept. 9 – 25, a look at class, poverty, wealth and privilege as Lindsay-Abaire contrasts the life of a single mother living paycheck-to-paycheck against her ex-boyfriend who successfully gets out of the neighborhood and becomes a prominent doctor.
“This is an incredibly timely piece,” Tinker said. “Lindsay-Abaire doesn’t write about heroes or villains. He writes about people. No one is great or awful, they are just human trying to make the right choices for them and their family amidst high pressure stakes.”
Civic Theatre then goes big in November with its premiere production of “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.” “It was one of those things we had to wait for the right timing,” Tinker said of the company having never staged a production before. “It’s a great show for celebrating the holidays.” “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,” which also contains an underlying message of acceptance, runs Nov. 18 – Dec. 18.
Dedicated to featuring a classic in every season, the Civic Theatre’s reading committee discovered the company had never done the 1930s comedy “The Philadelphia Story,” which became a 1940s film starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. This screwball love-triangle comedy, which became the fomula for many other romantic comedies, follows Tracy Lord as she prepares for her second marriage and the antics of her ex-husband who tries to remind her of love lost. The show runs Jan. 13 – 29.
Another classic Civic has never produced is “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” the story of starry-eyed Millie Dillmount of Salina, Kansas, who has come to New York City to make her dream come true. “This is one that we always have just had to have the right mix and this year it just happened,” Tinker said. “We looked at the spring and thought, we need something fun and this show is it. Plus with all the graduations going on [during June], this show is a celebration of new beginnings and independence. It really just fits.”
The two family productions, both based on books, are “Holes,” Oct. 21 – 30 and “Fancy Nancy,” April 21 – 30.
Even the 2017 summer children’s repertory productions contain the theme of equality as the lineup includes the popular fantasy “The Neverending Story,” July 29 – Aug. 6, and “Hairspray Jr.,” July 28 – Aug. 5. “With ‘Hairspray, Jr.,’ even though it is set in the sixties, it offers not only a message of equality, but is about accepting who you are, mind and heart, over what you look like.
“Be who you are as everyone loves who you are as oppose to a certain type of person.”
For information about the upcoming season or for ticket pricing, visit www.grct.org o call 616-222-6650.
Kalamazoo’s Big Boss Blues makes its first Concerts in the Park appearance this year.
After that brief encounter of chilly weather this past week, about everyone’s thoughts have turned to warmer weather. Well here’s something to warm you up: there is only 105 days before Wyoming’s Concerts in the Park returns to Lamar Park.
O.K., so it is a little more than three months, but to put together a 10-week concert series, the planning has to start almost when the last series ended. The Wyoming Community Enrichment Commission, which oversees the series, has been hard at work, lining up the performers for the 2016 Concerts in the Park and even have begun releasing a few teasers as to who is coming on the Wyoming Concerts in the Park Facebook page.
“We like to say that we are continuing the tradition of good entertainment at Lamar Park,” said Brandon Simmons, who is on the Wyoming Community Enrichment Commission. Simmons is referring to Lamar Park’s history of hosting the rodeo at Fort Wyoming which was located at Lamar Park. The site also was host to numerous concerts featuring Bob Hope, The Oakridge Boys, Crystal Gale, and Huey Lewis & the News.
The Concerts in the Park series has done well attracting some of the most popular regional stars with this year’s line-up including the very popular folk/rock band The Crane Wives, Kalamazoo’s Big Boss Blues, Grand Rapids honky tonk group Delilah DeWylde and the Lost Boys, rock ‘n’ roll group Foolish Plezyer, country group Kari Lynch Band, Tejano/Mexican/Conjunto music group Grupo Viento and The Legal Immigrants.
According to Simmons, more than 10,000 people were in attendance to last year’s fireworks show, always the Tuesday before July 4. This year’s fireworks will be on June 28 and feature two bands, one of which is Foolish Plezyer.
A total of 11 groups will perform over the 10 weeks. Simmons said the complete lineup should be available in March and that there is some big news to this year’s concert series, so make sure to be checking the series’ Facebook page and WKTV’s Wyoming/Kentwood NOW.
Also, the Wyoming Community Enrichment Commission hosts the Music & More August event designed to give residents a last summer hurrah with three concerts, food dancing games and activities all in one night. For more on the August event, click here to visit its Facebook page.
Concerts in the Park is free. Lamar Park is located at 2561 Porter St. SW.
Explore science at the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s Camp Curious.
There is something new for this year’s Camp Curious program at the Grand Rapids Public Museum – a special Watershed Wonders camp.
The new program will utilize the recently added exhibit “Grand Fish, Grand River,” which explores how the Great Lakes region’s largest and oldest fish, the Lake Surgeon, once found in abundance, is now a threatened species. According to Museum officials, the exhibit will be used as a way to teach students about the endangered species in Michigan’s watersheds and what has caused it. Students also will be using the Grand River, which runs right outside of the Museum to learn more about the Grand River watershed and the creatures that call it home..
The Watershed Wonders is one of several Camp Curious programs offered June 22 – Aug. 10. The Museum’s summer camp program is designed to explore the wonders of science, history, culture, art and fun. For nine weeks this summer, kids ages 4 – 14 can use the Museum as a learning lab.
Camp Curious offers sessions with a focus on a variety of themes from space exploration to building with Legos®, and from fossils to exploring what it was like to grow up in the Victorian Era. Camp options vary for each age group and are suited to their interest. Age groupings are 4-5 years old, 6-8 years old, 9-11 years old and 12-14 years old.
Registration for the Camp Curious programs is now open and officials say it is better to register earlier than later since some programs fill up quickly.
Discounts are available for enrollment in multiple camps and by registering multiple campers. Additionally, Museum members receive discounts off each camp.
Camps range in dates and duration, including Be Curious Day Camp offering one day sessions every Monday, each based on a different topic. Others camps are multiple days and have options between morning or afternoon sessions.
The Watershed Wonders program is in conjunction with Grand Valley State University’s Teaching English as a Second Language program and is available for age groups 6-8, 9-11 and 12-14.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum is located at Pearl St. NW, Grand Rapids. To register and to learn more about Camp Curious, visit the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s webpage or call 616-456-3977.
